How to Combine 2 Columns in Excel

If you work frequently with Microsoft Excel, combining two columns of data is something you’ll likely have to do from time to time. Combining data from two columns can help simplify your workbook and give you a more organized view of your data. Fortunately, Excel makes it easy to combine two columns of data into a single column with a few simple steps. In this blog post, we’ll guide you on how to combine two columns in Excel. Whether you’re a beginner or advanced user, you’ll be able to follow along and combine your data quickly and easily.

Introduction

If you work frequently with Microsoft Excel, combining two columns of data is something you’ll likely have to do from time to time. Combining data from two columns can help simplify your workbook and give you a more organized view of your data. Fortunately, Excel makes it easy to combine two columns of data into a single column with a few simple steps. In this blog post, we’ll guide you on how to combine two columns in Excel. Whether you’re a beginner or advanced user, you’ll be able to follow along and combine your data quickly and easily.

Step 1: Open Excel and select the cells

The first step in combining two columns in Excel is to open your Excel workbook and select the cells that you want to combine. To select the cells you want to combine, click on the first cell in the column you want to combine, hold down the left mouse button, and drag to the last cell in the row you want to combine. You can select multiple cells by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking on each cell you want to select.

Step 2: Click the ‘Formula’ tab and select ‘CONCATENATE’

After selecting the cells you want to combine, click on the ‘Formula’ tab in the Excel menu bar. In the ‘Formula’ tab, you’ll see a ‘Text’ group that contains the ‘CONCATENATE’ function. Click on the ‘CONCATENATE’ function to open the ‘Function Arguments’ box.

Step 3: Enter the cell references you want to combine

After clicking on the ‘CONCATENATE’ function, you’ll see a ‘Function Arguments’ box. In this box, you’ll need to enter the cell references you want to combine. If you want to combine cells A2 and B2, for example, you’ll need to enter A2 into the ‘Text1’ field and B2 into the ‘Text2’ field. If you want to add a space between the two cells, you can simply add a space between the two cell references in the formula.

Step 4: Drag the formula down to combine all cells

Once you’ve entered the correct cell references into the CONCATENATE function, click ‘OK’ to close the ‘Function Arguments’ box. Excel will now combine the two cells into a single cell. To combine the rest of the cells in the column, simply click and drag the formula down to the last row you want to combine.

Step 5: Save your newly combined data into a new column

After combining two columns, Excel will automatically combine the data into a new column adjacent to the original columns. If you want to save your newly combined data into a separate column, you can copy and paste the combined data into a new column. Simply highlight the cells with your newly combined data, right-click and select ‘Copy’, then move to the desired location and ‘Paste’ your data.

Conclusion

Combining two columns in Excel is a quick and easy process that can help simplify your workbook and improve your organization. By following these simple steps, you can combine your data quickly and easily, saving you time and improving your productivity.

Additional Tips for Combining Two Columns in Excel

While the above steps should cover everything you need to combine two columns in Excel, there are a few additional tips that can help you in the process:

• Before combining two columns make sure the data in both columns is in the same format: Combining two columns with a different format (e.g., text and numbers) will result in an error and will need to be reformatted.
• You can combine more than two columns. If you want to combine more than two columns, simply enter all the cell references in the ‘CONCATENATE’ function, separated by commas.
• You can use the ‘ ‘ function to add spaces or other separators between the combined data. For example, if you want to separate the combined text with a hyphen (-), you can use the formula =CONCATENATE(A1,” – “,B1).

Why Use the CONCATENATE Function instead of the “&” sign?

You might have noticed that we used the CONCATENATE function instead of the symbol ‘&’. The reason being the “&” sign can only be used to combine two cells at a time. On the other hand, the CONCATENATE function can combine multiple cells and is much more flexible.

In Conclusion

Combining two columns in Excel is a great way to improve the organization of your workbook and make your data easier to read. With the CONCATENATE function, you can easily and quickly combine two columns of data into a single cell. Always make sure to format your data in a consistent way before attempting to combine the columns, and use ‘ ‘ or other separators to make your data more readable. With these tips and tricks, you’ll be able to combine columns like a pro in no time!

FAQ

Here are some frequently asked questions about combining two columns in Excel:

Can I combine more than two columns in Excel?

Yes, you can combine more than two columns in Excel. Just separate the cell references with commas in the CONCATENATE function.

Can I add a comma or other separator between the two columns?

Yes, you can add a comma or other separator between the combined data by adding the separator value in quotes within an   in the CONCATENATE function. Example: =CONCATENATE(A1,” , “,B1)

What do I do if there is missing data in one of the columns?

If one of the columns has missing data, the CONCATENATE function will return an error. To avoid this, you can add an IF function to check for missing data before using the CONCATENATE function. Example: =IF(B1<>“”,CONCATENATE(A1,” “,B1),””)

Can I combine cells with different formats?

It’s possible to combine cells with different formats, but you may need to reformat the data so they match. For example, combining text and numbers can result in an error.

Is there an Excel shortcut for combining two columns?

There is no default Excel shortcut to combine two columns in Excel. However, you can create your own shortcut by creating a macro that combines cells using the CONCATENATE function.